[ SECRET POST #3389 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3389 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 022 secrets from Secret Submission Post #484.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Well I'm sure writing them is quite different, since in fanfic you don't have to establish worlds or characters and lot of times you can skirt around creating a major conflict. You also don't have to worry about grabbing readers as quickly because they're already invested. I could see that creating a real weakness if you tried to move on to original stuff and just took it for granted that everyone loves and understands your characters the way you do.

[ketita]

tbh, I think that "creating a major conflict" is one of the primary stumbling blocks, especially since fanfiction trends nowadays seem to be heading towards plotless fluff or drama. That might give you the ability to write a soap opera, but it's not rigorous plotting.
(that's one of the reasons I've started writing original, lately - the things I enjoy, like complicated worldbuilding, mostly-gen, heavy plot, are less appreciated in fan culture).

[(Anonymous)]

I did pretty well with a gen plot-heavy series over the last couple of years, with some worldbuilding bolted in where it made sense to add to the canon. People accepted the new bits quite well. I work on my original stuff alongside, with it now my current focus, but also always with fear and less confidence.

I'd think, reading your comment, that I *might* have a bit better luck having a solid original story, but threads like this always make me nervous. :/

[ketita]

Listen, I 100% feel your nervousness. I'm in a creative writing class atm and I'm terrified - terrified despite the fact that I think I do write better than some of the people there who are actual MFA students.
But this is where my worldbuilding kind of trips me up - I tend to get lost in the details and then stumble over the story. I overthink whether everything makes sense, even though a lot of fiction (especially genre fiction, tbh) can get away with a lot of handwaving and sloppy plotting.

It sounds to me like you're already building the skills that will help you write original stories well. And just remember, when you publish, you don't actually have to tell anybody you used to write fanfic if you don't want to!
Always remember that there are plenty of shitty books that got published, without them being written by fanficcers XD (though of course I'm rooting for you to be one of the good ones. Lois McMaster Bujold used to write fanfiction, and holy hell she's amazing).

[(Anonymous)]

The Vorkosigan Saga is amazing. I've only read the first couple so far, but they're so much fun. Yeah, people like her give me a little more confidence about making the jump. But it's a process. Even if the first finished novel sucks, oh well. Lessons for the next.

The main thing on this go-around was mindfully deciding to make damn sure I went in the opposite direction as some of the fic I'd been writing. Not only to stretch those skills I've been working on, but to make sure I don't fall too easily into fic-style traps.